Drop the olives and put your hands up
What would you say if a farmer told you someone was picking the olives from his trees? OK, we will keep an eye out for Popeye right? What if it was two farmers or four or more. It seems there were as many as 21 people jumping the fence and getting into the farmers’ olive orchards for their own profit. It was not just for making salads. These guys and girls were connected to about 19 tons of olives. An investigation into the olive thefts began in January after a farmer estimated that over 18,000 pounds of olives had been stolen from his land. Authorities connected the incident to other reports in the area of thefts involving “significant quantities of olives,” The Guardia Civil (state police) said. Then in February, police received reports of five people carrying more than 300 pounds of olives in broad daylight, but they were not able to prove that they acquired them legally.
Police raided two olive presses in the Toledo and Guadalajara regions that were allegedly pressing the stolen fruit into olive oil and arrested those in charge. Investigators uncovered documents outlining the exchange of more than 19 tons of stolen olives and seized multiple tanks containing more than 1,500 gallons of olive oil. Those arrested, who are between ages 20 and 57, were slapped with a number of charges including, theft, fraud and receiving stolen goods. The thieves were found with over 1,500 gallons of olive oil.
Prices for olives and olive oil have skyrocketed following last year’s severe drought, threatening the world’s supply. In Spain, which supplies 80% of the world’s olive oil, harvests were down 50%, making it the worst season in the last 15 years, according to Jon Davis, chief meteorologist for Everstream Analytics. One olive oil producer predicted that Spain had enough olive oil to supply domestic needs, but said he believes there will be no olive oil available for export in the fourth quarter of 2023. Olive prices have increased globally following last year’s drought in Europe. Olive oil prices in America have risen “30% to 50% depending upon the area.”
Conversational oil (from olives)
Watching cable news because you want to be informed
is like going to Olive Garden because you want to live in Italy.
The prosecutor hammered the accused on the stand. “You still insist you are innocent in spite of the fact that seven witnesses swear they saw you steal the necklace.”
“If you want witnesses, your honor, I can provide 70 witnesses that will swear they never saw me steal it.”
If olive oil comes from olives and mineral oil comes from minerals…
What does baby oil come from?
I got banned from Olive Garden for eating too many breadsticks
“How many did you eat?”
“Olive them.”
April 11th Birthdays
1984 – Kelli Garner, 1948 – Ellen Goodman, 1939 – Louise Lasser, 1974 – Tricia Helfer
1994 – Marcus Johns, 1913 – Oleg Cassini, 1931 – Rupert Murdoch, 1982 – Matt Ryan